Kolkata bids tearful adieu to nurses

Special prayers were held here on Sunday for the two nurses from Kerala who died while saving patients trapped in the fire-ravaged AMRI Hospitals, Dhakuria on Friday.

The coffins carrying their bodies were later flown to their home State.

A tearful farewell was given to Remya Rajappan and P.K. Vineetha, both of Kottayam district, by a large number of their friends and colleagues who joined in the prayers at St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.

The prayers began at 8 a.m. and the coffins containing the bodies of the two nurses were brought to the church about an hour later from the mortuary. Flowers were placed on them as the congregation paid its tributes to them, said parish priest of St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Father Joshy Myenparampil.

Among those who attended the services were nurses from Kerala who work in different hospitals in the city and members of various communities including the Malayali community, he added.

Church

“The bodies were in the church for nearly 40 minutes after which the coffins were taken to the city airport for a flight to Kochi. Family members of the two nurses accompanied the bodies,” Father Joshy said.

The two nurses were members of the Jesus Youth Nurses Ministry under the parish and had last attended a gathering on November 12. The Ministry has a membership of nearly 2,500 nurses largely from south India, he added.